Ellyse Woodward and her husband Woody own Ellwood Motorcycle Adventures in Cairns. Together they manage a fleet of more than 50 dirt bikes and road bikes, taking their clients on tours throughout remote Australia and around the world. In her spare time, Ellyse competes in motorcycle races including the iconic Finke Desert race in Central Australia. Motor Trader visited Ellyse at her shed on the Northern beaches of Far North Queensland to hear the story behind the bikes that she treasures the most.
Some people work in the automotive industry. Others, like Ellyse Woodward, have made their passion for the industry their career, their business and their life. “My dad Kevin raised me with motorbikes,” says Ellyse. “He is 73 years old now and he still rides every single day. He is my inspiration to keep fit and riding. When I was 19 years old, dad gave me my Suzuki. It was the first registered motorcycle I had ever owned.”
That Suzuki is a definite eyecatcher. Built in 1969, the T250 Hustler has a Six-speed gearbox to drive the 247cc, two-stroke engine. When launched, the Hustler was a road bike that many consider put Suzuki on the map. The peaky motor has a sweet spot between 5,000 and 8,000rpm delivering a comfortable cruising speed of 110km/h on the highway. “In 2009, my dad bought the Suzuki from an old friend of his who had restored it as a part of his collection of lovely bikes,” says Ellyse. “It was in excellent condition and because it had road registration, dad and I could ride together on vintage bike rallies throughout New South Wales. I never win awards at the rallies with the Hustler though because dad’s other bikes always win!”
Over the last 15 years, Ellyse has taken the Hustler all over Australia and in that time, she has done very little to the Suzuki. “I haven’t done a lot apart from ride it really,” she says. “It was in good condition when I got it. I don’t think I have even filled the oil tank up on it. It is super-efficient and starts first kick every time. She fouls plugs here and there just like any old two-stroke and I recently cleaned the carbies out and gave her a tune up. It runs like an absolute beauty! I will never sell this bike; it means so much to me.” Despite giving the Hustler the bare minimum of attention, Ellyse does have plans for it in the future. On the list is a new paint job and a clean-up of the chrome trim to make her look like new.
“If I could turn back time I would have kept her in better condition, taken it out to ride a little more often, and maybe even put it in my lounge room the way that dad keeps his bikes in the house,” she says. In 2018, Ellyse earned the title of Queen of the Desert, finishing as the fastest woman in the Tatts Finke Desert Race and being the 291st person to cross the finish line in a field of 650 male and female competitors.
“I grew up riding and racing motorcycles,” she says. “The Tatts Finke Desert Race was by far one of the toughest things I have ever done.”
The year before Ellyse and the team headed to Alice Springs to compete, she went shopping with her dad on Facebook Marketplace. Together they bought a 1974 Yamaha RD350 in Yeppoon with the plan to restore it to her dad’s standard and have it in Cairns for Kevin to ride when he came to visit his daughter. Those plans have fallen short though. “The Yamaha needs a bit of work,” says Ellyse. “It needs a new master cylinder as it has leaked, and brake fluid has ruined the paint and O-rings. I would like to repaint it and do the chrome and get it looking a little nicer. “The wiring needs to be cleaned up and generally I just need to ride it more. These old bikes don’t like to sit for too long and, being in Cairns, the bikes struggle a little in the humidity.”
With a fleet of more than 50 motorcycles, finding time to ride the Yamaha can be a struggle. 50 years ago, when the two-stroke, air cooled, parallel twin Yamaha rolled off the factory floor, it was considered to be one of the best bikes of the 1970s. The RD initials in RD350 stood for ‘Race Developed’, building on the racing heritage inherited from the TZ350. With almost 40 ponies at 7,500rpm, the RD350 was a serious contender in its prime, earning the nickname “The Giant Killer” for its nimble handling and overall performance against much bigger machines. The Yamaha brought with it the innovation of ‘Autolube’ – providing automatic oil injection and saving the rider from having to mix the petrol with two-stroke oil. A six-speed gear box, disc brakes on the front and an efficient reed-valve intake system made the Yamaha seem ahead of its time in the mid 1970s. Today it is a sought-after collector’s edition for the old-school lovers of road-racing two strokes.
In between running a global adventure motorcycle tour company, successfully competing in bike races and contributing as a valued member of the motorcycling community, Ellyse hopes to have time to give the Yamaha the attention it deserves. “The goal is to get her cleaned up and restored to dad’s standard and then enter her in some shows and enjoy her,” she says. With the Hustler and the Yamaha polished and restored, Ellyse and her dad Kevin can finally get some father/daughter time to enjoy their shared love of motorcycles and explore the Far North Queensland roads. Ellyse will just need to find time in her busy schedule and stay as fit and healthy as her dad with daily bike rides.
Source: Motor Trader e-Magazine (December 2024 / January 2025)
5 February 2025